This Saskatoon woman studied astrophysics in Belfast. There, she fell in love with work as a GoT extra
Keara Carter was there among the Battle of Winterfell and walked in King's Landing. She's been a White Walker and a Flea Bottom peasant.
And when she wasn't in the centre of a raging battle scene or getting dressed up and fitted with a prosthetic, she was studying astrophysics.
While millions tuned in for the season finale of Game of Thrones, the 23-year-old Saskatoon woman got an intimate look into the inner workings of the show as an extra, something she calls "the best job ever."
"It's really just a day at a theme park almost, because everyone's dressed up and just running through the streets," said Carter. "It's just such good fun."
Carter and her family have long been fans of the show. When she went to the University of Belfast/Northern Ireland on a study abroad program for astrophysics, she had the opportunity to tour one of the filming locations for the show.
The guide did double duty as an extra for the show, which made her curious — how exactly did one become an extra on this television juggernaut?
"He helped to take my picture and submitted it to Game of Thrones and then I was hired; a 'Freshly Dead Northern Female' was my role title," she said, with a chuckle.
Working on the set was like being transported to a different time and place, according to Carter.
"It was a full scale replica of everything so that they could do whatever they wanted to it. It was pretty magical."
Carter appeared on episodes two, five and six of this past and final season, juggling the filming schedule with her studies.
During the Battle of Winterfell, the crew spent 55 nights shooting in a row, the longest-ever recorded battle sequence in TV and film.
"And it was difficult because I would have classes maybe from 10 to 4, and then I would get to work at 6 p.m. and then work until 6 a.m. and then just go straight to school just after," she said.
After filming wrapped up last August, Carter went back home. She's since finished her engineering/physics degree at the University of Saskatchewan.
But now that she's had a taste of the Game of Thrones extra life, she's ready for more.
She plans to go back to Belfast in the fall and apply to be an extra for the prequel, which has already started filming.
"I should probably get a real job but I think I want to do this first," she said, noting it's an opportunity to work with a diverse and fascinating group of people, with every day offering a new surprise.
"As a side job, I don't know how you could beat it."
